An unmarked island and a deadly discovery! The Obsidian's accidental misadventure!
Chapter Four: Unexpected Detour! Several miles beyond Whisky Peek, further into the first half of the Grand Line, a storm rages. It is huge even by the local standard; a whirling vortex large and strong enough that the sea beneath it is drawn into a whirlpool in sympathy. The spray drawn up from the surface hangs thickly in the air, further blurring the line between sea and sky. The one mercy in this chaos is the smaller whirlpools kicked up within it by displaced sea currents. Within them sit eerily calm patches of water, and within one of those sails an unusual vessel. Its timbers are mismatched in many places, and parts of it have unusual outriggers or additions that, while both perfectly functional and elegant, look out of keeping with the original design of the hull. Aboard it, its crew of four, having narrowly avoided being swept away by the storm, have relaxed slightly, but still remain alert. Dimitri: 'wow.. this is rather exciting isn’t it?! ''The cyborg pirate is standing under an overhanging porch like roof towards the rear of the ship, watching the swirling chaos around them. Byrn accompanies him. 'Byrn: '''It’s cripplingly powerful. Are you quite sure this whirlpool is safe? ''The reply comes through a window behind them. Inside, at a relatively dry desk, the newest member of the Obsidian pirates looks up, a sheet of complex looking calculations pinned in front of her under the weight of a barometer. 'Jessica: '''Based on our volume compared to it, we should be alright. It’s only a risk if anything interferes with the moving edge. '''Dimitri: '''We can calm down then. Windy can cope with the currents we’re getting in here no trouble. How’s the wheel holding Geo- ''He had turned mid-sentence to the nearby ship’s wheel to find George Marley absent, the wheel tied into position. 'Byrn: '''He.. deserted? '' Closer inspection reveals that the pirate is actually watching the wheel closely, but from the inside of a nearby crate. 'Marley: '''On course, Bro. '''Jessica: '''What are you doing in there? '''Marley: '''I can’t swim ya know? I could use the flotation if I get swept overboard. '''Jessica: '''Oh, that. Actually, that’s pretty…. '''Byrn: '''Excessive? '''Dimitri: '''Silly? '''Jessica: '-Smart. Though we’re in no danger of going overboard right now. There is a splintering, and George pushes his way out of the crate, shattering it. He stands up straight and smiles 'Marley: '''Oh good. So who’s for rum? ''Jessica blinks in surprise, but then smiles back. 'Jessica: '''I’ll get it. She gets up from her desk, leaves the navigation room, and walks aft to a trapdoor set into the deck. She opens it to be confronted by a pool of water. '''Jessica: '''Ack! Guys, the hold’s flooded! '''Byrn: '''What?! ''Marley freezes, and snatches up the remains of his crate in panic. Byrn rushes off, probably to man a pump somewhere, while Dimitri rushes over. As soon as he sees the trapdoor, he stops, and then quite calmly closes it again. 'Dimitri: '''Oh, that. False alarm everyone. Problem’s dealt with. ''Jessica snaps at him, somewhere between panic and anger. '''Jessica: '''How is that “dealt with”?! '''Dimitri: '''It’s supposed to do that. '''Jessica: '''What?! '''Dimitri: '''Drainage pipes are clogged. I routed everything down there instead. It’s fuller than I expected but- '''Jessica: '''You can’t just turn a stairway into a drainage shaft! '''Dimitri: '''What’s wrong with that?! '''Marley: '''Umm.. Jess.. '''Jessica: '''It’ll flood out the dry rooms! '''Dimitri: '''No, they drain into this as well! 'Jessica: '''And where to from there then?! '''Marley: '''Captain- '''Jessica and Dimitri: '''What?! ''Marley shrinks back from the two glares as both pirates round on him, but he shakes his head and continues 'Marley: '''Should the water be bubbling? ''They stare at each other, and then with a mutual shrug they turn back to the hatch. Dimitri opens it up again. The water inside is still. Jessica looks up at Marley, who adds, helpfully-'' '''Marley: '''The water in the sea. Over the side. ''There is a moment of silence. Then Jessica rushes to the edge of the boat and peers over. There is a thick mass of bubbles in the wake of the Second Wind, but more obviously, further forward, there is another much larger sheet of thickening bubbles that the ship is sailing into. Jessica stares for a few seconds, and then turns back and yells. 'Jessica: '''Shallows! Rocky shallows!! ''She immediately rushes further aft, Dimitri and Marley giving chase as they sense her urgency, and they run into Byrn just outside the entrance to the hold. 'Jessica: '''Quick! Ditch the cargo! '''Byrn: '''What? '''Jessica: '''Leftover supplies, storage.. As much weight as possible. '''Byrn: '''It’s just the last of the food- '''Jessica: '''Even that! '''Marley: '''But, shallow is good right? It means land! '''Jessica: '''No! I mean yes! Wait! ''The whole ship lurches suddenly, and starts shaking, as the eerie calm around them fades into chaos. Jessica is thrown to the deck, and answers as she picks herself up. 'Jessica: '''The reason we’re not getting tossed around right now is because a giant submerged whirlpool was blocking the worst of the currents. What do you think happens when it gets too shallow for the whirlpool to be submerged in anything? ''Marley tries to answer, but then the entire ship lurches, and there is a distant crash. The deck starts to tilt. 'Jessica: '''Too late! The current’s picking up! ''The ship starts to pick up speed, and sways back and forth, to more crashing. The crew grab hold of anything they can as the lurching throws them off their feet. 'Marley: '''Where’s my crate?! '''Dimitri: '''Don’t worry, Windy’s still holding together- ''There is a sudden swoosh and a feeling of vertigo as the ship somehow sails up the side of a huge wave, off its crest, and into the air. '''Jessica: Wait a minute. That’s not meant to happen- The ship falls back down, and the last thing anyone is aware of is a deafening thud. Some time later Some time later Jessica slowly wakes up in bright late-afternoon sunlight, and finds herself sprawled on the deck. A few feet away, Marley and burn are standing over something, which as she gets closer turns out to be Dimitri. Marley: 'Wake up! Wake up bro! ''She joins the group and asks: 'Jessica: '''What’s happening? '''Byrn: '''It would appear he’s been concussed after our landing. '''Marley: '''Ohhhhh dear. '''Jessica: '''What?! '''Bryn: '''Any idea how to treat this? '''Jessica: '''no. Aren’t you the medic? '''Marley: '''we have a medic? ''Jessica stops and stares in shock again. 'Jessica: '''You don’t have a doctor of any kind?! ''There is a groan, then Dimitri sits up suddenly, making them all recoil. Oblivious to this, he shakes his head lazily, and adjusts his hat. 'Dimitri: '''Ah. Nice nap. So where are we? '''Jessica: '''Nap?! '''Marley: '''So you were just sleeping then? You had me worried bro! '''Dimitri: '''Why? What happened? ''There is a significant pause, as all the pirates glance at each other in confusion. Byrn is the first to offer an explanation. 'Byrn: '''The ship somehow got launched over a rock, then it hit something that floated, and now we’re… here. ''The ship is on the edge of an island, partly washed up on a narrow beach. All that can be seen of the rest of the island is a huge, thick forest, or even a jungle, blocking out nearly everything. 'Dimitri: '''So where’s here? '''Jessica: '''I’ll check. ''She rummages through her back, and pulls out a book, a dried purplish apple core, and a map, which she consults for several minutes. After checking several pages, she frowns. 'Jessica: '''that’s odd. In theory, the middle of empty ocean. In a dangerous zone… We’ve only gone and found an uncharted island! '''Byrn: '''Uncharted? '''Marley: '''you mean we’re the first people ever to land in this place? '''Dimitri: '''Awesome! Let’s take a look around! ''Jessica blinks involuntarily, but then asks calmly: 'Jessica: '''Is that such a good idea? ''Dimitri looks disappointed for a second, but smiles again as Byrn cuts in. 'Byrn: '''funnily enough, yes. We’re out of food and firewood. '''Jessica: '''Really? I thought there were those two crates near the hold. '''Byrn: '''Marley threw them overboard '''Marley: '''You said get rid of em. '''Jessica: '…..So we’re on an uncharted island with no supplies 'Byrn: '''Except water obviously. We have more of that than we’ll ever need. '''Dimitri: '''But it’s a jungle island. There’s bound to be something edible round here… '''Jessica: '''Good point. We can restock before we leave. '''Marley: '''A hunting trip then? Let’s go bro! '''Dimitri: '''Of course! See you guys later! ''Dimitri rushes to the edge of the ship, and jumps off it. As he does, a small explosion beneath one of his feet, most likely due to a hidden jet, flings him into the trees. Marley follows at a more conventional pace, leaping off the ship and running. Jessica rushes after them, but stops at the edge of the deck '''Jessica: '''Hey! Wait a minute! We need- oh… too late.. After a delay, Bryn pulls an oversized axe out of a crate, and then walks up next to her, balancing it on one shoulder. 'Byrn: '''Come on, let’s go find some firewood. Some time later ''An hour or so later, Marley and Dimitri cut their way through the dense forest, Marley wielding a mindsword that would be better referred to as a machete, while Dimitri hacks at the excess with a set of knife blades made from his fingers. Dimitri has a sack of fruit hooked over one shoulder, but otherwise they are empty handed, having yet to find any animals. 'Dimitri: '''Hey… George… '''Marley: '''yeah bro? '''Dimitri: '''Jessica’s from a noble family right? '''Marley: '''Yeah? '''Dimitri: '''But now she’s a pirate. It’s quite a big change... ''They both stop cutting almost in unison, and Marley turns to face George. 'Marley: '''Yeah, that’s true. '''Dimitri: '''and what’ll happen if she is given a bounty? What effect might that have on her family? '''Marley: '''No idea.. Guess we just have to make sure she doesn’t somehow. At least for a while. '''Dimitri: '''Yeah. I suppose she could use an assumed name again- What was that? ''They both stop moving, and freeze perfectly still. There is a rustle up ahead. 'Marley: '''It’s big. '''Dimitri: '''It’s moving. ''They glance at each other, and share a grin. 'Dimitri and Marley: '''Dinner!! ''They turn again and creep forward, preparing to attack. Suddenly the bushes give way and something bizarre rears up in front of them. 'Marley: '''Aaahhhh! '''Dimitri: '''What the heck is that?! Some time later ''Meanwhile, in a clearing closer to the ship, Jessica and Byrn arrive and deposit several armfuls of logs and wood, producing a largish pile of wood, usable for the ships stoves, next to all their previous findings. They then settle down to wait for Dimitri and Marley. The sun is starting to set, and after a while Jessica shivers and sets to work making a small fire from some of the wood. Byrn also helps with the addition small ball, made of clay mixed with gunpowder, in place of kindling, and with a small amount of effort they get it to light. Jessica settles back onto a large mound made of plants, which even has a small tree growing out of part of it, and relaxes. Byrn turns on the spot a few times to survey the surroundings, and then also sits on one of the heaps of logs. 'Byrn: '''The other two will probably get here quite soon. '''Jessica: '''Great. Wonder if they’ll find anything. '''Byrn: '''Hopefully boar. I know how to cook pork. '''Jessica: '''Oh nice. Anything else? '''Byrn: '''Not particularly. Pork, pancakes, and after that I have to improvise a bit. '''Jessica: '''Right. So you leave the cooking to the others. '''Byrn: '''Not really, they don’t do any better at it. I think Dimitri had some luck frying potatoes once. '''Jessica: '''Frying potatoes?! Who the heck ''fries potatoes?! 'Byrn: '''It went a lot better than George’s experiment with battered fish. ''Jessica stares at him with growing bewilderment. 'Jessica: '''None of you know how to cook? '''Byrn: '''I suggested we looked into recruiting a cook right before we entered the Grand Line. Dimitri planned on picking one up on the way. '''Jessica: '''How well did that go? ''There is a pause. Then Byrn answers, rather hurriedly, with a question 'Byrn: '''How well can you cook? '''Jessica: '''Well… I can, just not very well. '''Byrn: '''Then I think it’s safe to say Dimitri’s plan worked. Just not very well. '''Jessica: '''I see. Well, I guess at the next stop we could, wait… was that a joke? '''Byrn: '…… I guess not.. There is a rumble, and the mound Jessica is sitting on abruptly shifts. She leaps up 'Jessica: '''What was that?! ''The other end of the mound twists, revealing two large round eyes. And then it starts to pull itself up. 'Jessica: '''M..M.. Monster!!! ''Byrn raises his gauntlet, but it appears to be in its inactive state, with the knuckles closed off, and so is relatively useless. 'Byrn: '''Blast!... What is this? ''Byrn goes for his pistol as a bulky humanoid creature, seemingly made from vegetation, rises up from one side of the mound and starts to walk towards them. Some time later On the other side of the island, Dimitri and Marley are now back to back. Around them, and closing in, are four huge monsters, covered in fur like apes, but with varying configurations of limbs, claws and jaws that leaves them unlike any recognisable creature. George has a mindsword ready, and Dimitri is holding his staff in his left hand. 'Marley: '''What are these things?! '''Dimitri: '''No idea! Some kind of natives to this island?! ''As the creatures get closer, Dimitri and George start to circle each other, keeping all of them in view. '' '''Marley: '''Yeah well, theses natives are revolting bro! Aack! ''He is caught mid sentence and has to bat away a heavy paw. 'Dimitri: '''Guess they really don’t like us. Ah well. Ready? ''He stops circling and twirls his staff, finishing with it in a ready position. 'Marley: '''I got your back bro! ''Marley raises his sword as the creatures close in '''Dimitri: '''We’ll just have to deal with them the hard way! '''To be continued Category:Stories Category:Obsidian Pirates Category:13th Madman Category:Obsidian Voyage